What Trump halting a $5B EV charger program means for Virginia's electric car owners
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The number of public electric vehicle chargers has more than doubled in Virginia since 2021, driven by a combination of increased private investment and a surge in government funding under former President Biden.
Why it matters: On Thursday, the Trump administration ordered the immediate halt to a $5 billion program that would build more EV charging stations on highways nationwide — which could affect the nearly 85,000 Virginians with electric vehicles.
Catch up quick: Spurring a switch from gasoline-powered cars to battery-electric vehicles was a key part of Biden's climate agenda, which Republicans have voiced a desire to undo.
- That includes potentially going after policies that made electric vehicles easier to buy and find, like consumer EV tax credits, manufacturing incentives for carmakers and a tougher tailpipe emissions law.
- Biden also pushed to have 500,000 public chargers by 2030, which Congress partly supported with a $7.5 billion allocation via the bipartisan infrastructure act.
Context: People won't buy an electric car unless they're confident they have somewhere to charge it.
The big picture: From fiscal years 2022-26, Virginia was projected to receive $106,376,132 in EV charging station funding Trump has temporarily suspended, per the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
- The FWHA approved Virginia's plans for meeting the program requirements last November.
- But Thursday's memo nulls that approval and will require the state to resubmit a plan under new soon-to-be-issued program guidance.
The latest: It also paused the $10.7 million in federal funding Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner announced last month, which would go toward building nearly 400 EV charging stations across Virginia.
By the numbers: Virginia has the 10th most EV charging stations in the U.S. with 1,896 statewide, per the Department of Energy's Friday update.
- In 2021, it had 723.
- Seven charging stations were being planned in the Richmond area, according to Virginia's map of EV charging stations.
What's next: A spokesperson from the Virginia Department of Transportation, which is responsible for installing the public EV chargers, told Axios it's "working to determine the impacts in Virginia."
Go deeper: Trump's vehicle charger funds freeze is the first move to unwind EV policy